Kevin Locke has been in the action. Photo / Getty Images
A police decision that New Zealand Warrior Kevin Locke will not face charges over an alleged sexual assault was today welcomed by the National Rugby League club.
Auckland police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said inquiries had been completed and there were no grounds for laying criminal charges.
In April, Locke was
confirmed as being the subject of a police investigation after a woman laid a complaint over an alleged early morning incident in Auckland.
He strenuously denied he did anything wrong and asked for his name to be made public to avoid speculation.
Club chief executive Wayne Scurrah today welcomed result of the investigation.
"We are delighted that what Kevin has told us has proven to be correct, that he didn't feel he had broken the law in any way," he said.
"Now he can put that behind him and learn from the experience."
Locke, 22, got his first-grade debut for the Warriors in 2009 and has made 40 appearances for the club, scoring 14 tries.
Despite the investigation, he has been in fine form for the Warriors.
In recent weeks he has cemented a spot in the starting 13 in his preferred position of fullback and the club announced at the weekend that he had re-signed until the end of 2013.
Scurrah said Locke had managed the off-field situation well for a young man.
"No doubt it would have been distressful for the complainant and for him, and we're concerned about both people, not only Kevin," he said.
"From our point of view, it's been fairly investigated and resolved. Hopefully, everyone can move forward with their lives."
Scurrah also expressed disappointment at how the issue had been reported in some sections of the media, saying it seemed Locke had been found guilty before the investigation had been concluded.
"We were just concerned the way it was headlined in certain newspapers and with the club's logo there," he said.
"We don't often see the club's logo appear when we do a lot of good things in the community."
- NZPA
